BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  SB 1429
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          SENATE THIRD READING
          SB 1429 (Evans)
          As Amended  April 9, 2012
          Majority vote

           SENATE VOTE  :39-0  
           
           GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION         17-0                          
           
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          |Ayes:|Hall, Nestande, Atkins,   |     |                          |
          |     |Block, Blumenfield,       |     |                          |
          |     |Chesbro, Cook, Galgiani,  |     |                          |
          |     |Garrick, Gatto, Hill,     |     |                          |
          |     |Jeffries, Ma, Perea, V.   |     |                          |
          |     |Manuel P�rez,             |     |                          |
          |     |Silva, Torres             |     |                          |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
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           SUMMARY  :  Makes technical and clarifying changes to an existing 
          provision of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act (Act) relative 
          to requiring winegrowers and distilled spirits manufacturers to 
          dispose of leftover product provided at instructional tastings 
          events.  

           EXISTING LAW  :

          1)Establishes the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) 
            and grants it exclusive authority to administer the provisions 
            of the Act in accordance with laws enacted by the Legislature. 
             This involves licensing individuals and businesses associated 
            with the manufacture, importation and sale of alcoholic 
            beverages in this state and the collection of license fees for 
            this purpose. 

          2)Permits a winegrower or distilled spirits manufacturer, or its 
            authorized agent, to conduct "instructional" consumer tastings 
            at an on-sale retail licensed premise provided the following 
            conditions are met:  a) no more than one-fourth ounce of 
            distilled spirits is offered in one tasting; b) no more than 
            one ounce of wine is offered in one tasting; and, c) no more 
            than three tastings are offered to an individual in one day.  
            An instruction may include the history, nature, values and 
            characteristics of the product being offered, and the methods 








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            of presenting and serving the product.  

          3)Requires the winegrower or distilled spirits manufacturer to 
            remove any unfinished alcoholic beverage product that he/she 
            provided following the instruction.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  Unknown.  This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the 
          Legislative Counsel.

           COMMENTS  :   

           Purpose of the bill  :  According to the author's office, this 
          measure was generated from constituent feedback to the Senate 
          Select Committee on California's Wine Industry.  The author's 
          office notes that, current law intends for wine instructors to 
          remove "leftover wine" after the tasting/instruction concludes.  
          They point out that the grammatical changes incorporated in this 
          measure will add clarity to this existing provision of law.

           Prior legislation  :  AB 605 (Portantino), Chapter 230, Statutes 
          of 2007, added a new provision to the Act that authorized ABC to 
          issue to the holder of any off-sale retail license an 
          instructional tasting license that would permit the license 
          holder to allow an authorized licensee, as defined, or 
          designated representative of that licensee, to conduct, on a 
          designated portion of, or contiguous to, an existing licensed 
          premises, an instructional tasting event at which tastes of 
          alcoholic beverages may be served to consumers, as provided.    

          AB 2293 (De Leon), Chapter 638, Statutes of 2008, added a new 
          provision to the Act that permits distilled spirits 
          manufacturers and winegrowers to provide their product offerings 
          directly to consumers (free of charge) during invitation-only 
          events on premises for which a caterer's permit authorization 
          has been issued.  

          SB 1548 (Murray), Chapter 670, Statutes of 2006, authorized beer 
          manufacturers and wholesalers to offer beer samples (not to 
          exceed eight ounces per person, per day) to individuals of legal 
          drinking age at on-sale retail licensed premises under specified 
          conditions.  

          AB 2285 (V. Brown), Chapter 248, Statutes of 1998, allowed 
          on-sale retail licensees to offer limited tastings of wine or 








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          distilled spirits at the licensed establishment.

          SB 993 (Burton), Chapter 544, Statutes of 1997, among other 
          things, authorized a licensed distilled spirits manufacturer to 
          conduct tastings of distilled spirits on the licensed premises 
          under specified conditions.  

           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Eric Johnson / G. O. / (916) 319-2531 


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